The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-28
HE DRANK LAUDANUM.
THEsTEPsON's DEFENSE OF HIM
SELF AND BOTHER
In the Joshua Harding Case. Re-
ported From Near Bruns-
wick.
BRuSswrcK, April 2e, 1857.

Brunswick, April 26, 1857.
To the Editor of the Appeal;
In your issue OF the 10th you pub
lished an article purporting to be from
a gentleman residing in this vicinity
relative to the death of Joshua Hsr-
ding, In which it is styled a diabolical
murder. Ia this you do myself and
mother, widow OF Joshua Ha ding,
great injustice. The IA is in the case
are theee. Mr.. Harding wss taken, on
the Both day of March, with dysen-
terry, at about IL o'clock at night, and
a very severe attack. He was in the
habit Of taking lsudaDum whenever
troubled with his bowels. On this
occasion he had laudanum made by
himself, and so strong that the alcohol
did not dissolve nea: all tho opium
that was in the bottle Immediately.
When taken at ii o'clock in the night
he drank some of his mixture cut Of
J the bottle at two different times,
which relieved him to such an extent
that he was able to be up the next
morning and 60 to his work. During
tie morning tue pains returned, and
about II o'clock he drank twice from
the bottle, as he had done the night
before, which will be sttssted to by
Mr. r gsby and bis wife, who were pres
ent and cav it. Harding Immediately
went to bsd, and Mrs. Harding being
sick at tbs time, and it being his habit
to take lauCalum in that way, nothing
was tEoughL Of II until some time in
the evening, WI en- Rigsby and Mrs.
Harding found him in stupor, and
Immediately sent for their nelghborF,
Dalton aud Terrell, and then about
dark sent for DIR. W. d. Horne, who
resides in the town of Brunswick.
When the doctor got there, in COM
psny with DR.. Stewart, they found
Mr.. Harding in a stupor, as above
state d. The doctors went to work,
applying such remedies "a are usually
applied in such cases. After working
several hours, Mr.. Harding did rouse
to such an extent as 10 be able TO walk
around supported by II man on each
side, but he was never rational. As
stated in the srticle of the 10Th instant,
he further aroused, and to strengthen
him the doctors had some coffee made.
1t vas made by Mrs. McCadden and
Mrs. Rigsby, Mrs. Harding having
nothing to 90 with the making
of it, aud be drank about two swsl-
lows and sank into a stupor again,
and was never aroused any more,
dying on the Let day of April. Az to
the excitement mentioned in the ar
tlcie of the 10th, none exists in the
neighborhood unless il il with people
who know nothing about the part Gu
lars, as was the case with the gentle
man who reported the matter TO the
APPEAL, but the community join in
the opinion that Joshua Harding died
from the effects of too much landau um
taken by his own hand without any
suicidal Intention, as the following
certificates from physicians who at
tended him, aud his peighb rs who
were with him in his last hours. will
show:
We, the undersigned physicians and
citizens living in aud around Bruns-
wick, nejghbors OF Joshua Harding,
deceased, hereby certify that we at
tendt d and waited upon him during his
last sickness, and are unanimously oil
the opinion that he came to his death
by taking too much laudanum without
any suicidal intention; that ws do not
believe, nor have ever believed, that
his wife or any one else had anything
to do with administering any poison
to him in airy way, but that they did
everything that could be done for him
in his last sickness. W. w. Horne,
MD, j. W. Stewart, MD, ]. f. Nc
Alden, S. A. &cAden, T. P. Dalton,
Mrs. N. 1, Dalton, Mr. T. P Lemon,
Mrs. W. A. Lemon, I. FL. RGsby, l..
M. Rigahv.